


Symbol of Times Past

by Hound_4



Category: Show By Rock!! - All Media Types
Genre: Flashback, Fluff, M/M, Tattoo
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-07-22
Updated: 2016-07-22
Packaged: 2018-07-26 00:45:00
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,348
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7553665
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Hound_4/pseuds/Hound_4
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>“What does it feel like any way” Shuu queried.<br/>“What? Having your hopes and dreams shattered?” Rom smiled brilliantly in response to the glare Shuu threw at him “I guess it kind of feels like a bee.”</p>
            </blockquote>





	Symbol of Times Past

Becoming an idol required much more paperwork than Shuu had anticipated. When he’d been asked to come into the building for a couple of hours to finalize his representation under Judas, he’d thought maybe he’d get a tour of their impressive building or get introduced to some of the people he’d be working with. Instead, an hour in, he was still stuck in the overly air conditioned small office he’d been directed to when he arrived, filling in his life story in blue ink. Most of the early questions were very standard and aside from the focus on musical and dance ability, were what Shuu assumed could be found on your standard job application form. As the pages went on, the questions got a little more intrusive but they were nothing he didn’t expect (although he probably shouldn’t have laughed so bitterly when he signed his name agreeing to abstain from romantic or sexual relationships), the whole process was tedious but basic. Until he turned to page 23.

‘Please list any tattoos, birthmarks or noticeable scars: _________________________’

He read the question over twice before slowly bringing his hand up to touch his right arm. It was stupid of him to have thought he could get away with hiding the tattoo but he’d remained hopeful that he would be allowed to keep some things private. Gripping the fabric of his jacket in frustration he tried to think rationally about whether or not to declare the symbol of what he’d betrayed and thrown away; tried to figure out if he would even be able to continue hiding it. Even if he hadn’t kicked everything it represented to the curb, the tattoo was still far too private and personal to share with just any one.

\-----

“Rom, while you’re up could you grab another can of Redbull” Shuu didn’t bother lifting his head from the notebook he was hunched over. The idea was for this to be the hit song that would launch them out of obscurity and into stardom. Sadly, while the music itself was great (the best thing he’d ever written, Shuu would admit shamelessly), the lyrics just couldn’t seem to get their act together.

“Those lyrics are never going to get written if you die of a heart attack first.” Rom held the chilled can up to the light, the words ‘maximum daily intake: 2 servings’, staring back at him. Not counting any cans Shuu had fetched himself, this would be his fourth today and as such, the energy drink went back in the fridge. “What you probably need far more is a break; nothing’s going to come to you if you’re just staring at blank pages for days.” 

Shuu whined almost as loudly as the couch springs did when Rom joined him there. One day the piece of crap was going to fall to pieces while they were on it and Rom only hoped the pay from his part time job could afford them a new one by then. Even more complaining came from it as Shuu placed his notebook on their threadbare carpet and adjusted his position to lean against his boyfriend’s shoulder.  
“Hey, can I ask you something?” Shuu asked tentatively after a few minutes of comfortable silence. Slowly he turned his head to get a decent look at Rom’s face “Would you be mad if I said I wanted to get a Skull Jaguar tattoo to match yours?”

Within an instant a brilliant smile had spread across Rom’s face, his strong arms pulling Shuu into a tight hug. While he’d been concerned that his boyfriend would perhaps be worried about the idea of him getting a tattoo so soon after turning 18, Shuu was most worried that Rom would be possessive of the design and urge him to try think of something different.

“I should be offended that you thought I might be mad at that” Bending his head down, Rom placed a kiss to Shuu’s lips “How long have you wanted it? This isn’t something to rush into.”

“When you decided you were going to have it done, I started thinking about what I’d get if I ever got one and my mind kept going back to yours, maybe on the other arm though” Shuu responded, tracing the outline of the black ink on his boyfriends tanned skin, just lightly enough for it to tickle. “After you had it done, I couldn’t get your arm out of my head.”

“Aren’t you always thinking about my arms any way?” Rom teased.

“Shut up” Shuu tried to reach for a cushion to hit Rom with, failing as the other restrained his arms “I was going to tell you how much I love the cheesy, romantic idea of having a tattoo that matches yours too, but I guess you’ll never know that now”

“What a shame, now I’ll never get to know that my boyfriend loves me so much that he wants to match me for life” Sarcasm thick in his voice, Rom attempted to look deeply hurt.

“Well now you’re just making it sound dumb” Shuu pouted. 

“If someone calling a tattoo idea dumb is enough to put you off it, you shouldn’t have been wanting it in the first place.” His tone was strict but Shuu understood the point he was making quite clearly.

“I’m set on it, the world could call it dumb and I wouldn’t care.” Shuu met eyes with Rom, both smiling stupidly at each other before bringing their lips together for a chaste kiss.

“Tell you what, I’ll draw it on your arm every morning for 2 weeks and if by the end of that you’re still in love with the idea, we can book you in with the guy who did mine.” Rom barely got to finish speaking before Shuu’s lips were on his again.

 

　　The sharpie ticked his skin as Rom finished drawing a slightly wonky rendition of his design on Shuu’s arm. Despite being far from perfectly drawn, Shuu still smiled brightly as he caught sight of it in the mirror. It was smaller than Rom’s and the placement slightly different to account for his much smaller arms but essentially, they matched. The biggest difference was, regardless of the word ‘permanent’ on the side of the marker, this skull was anything but. 

“It looks so right” Grinning, Shuu looked at his arm in the mirror again “Never become a tattoo artist though, you’d be awful at it.”

“You just shattered all my hopes and dreams” Rom threw Shuu’s long sleeved shirt at him in retaliation. Catching the shirt with ease, Shuu leant up on his toes to peck his boyfriend on the lips before pulling the garment over his head. 

“What does it feel like any way” Shuu queried.

“What? Having your hopes and dreams shattered?” Rom smiled brilliantly in response to the glare Shuu threw at him “I guess it kind of feels like a bee.”

“I don’t get it” He replied flatly, turning his attention to fixing the way his fringe sat.

“It’s irritating and the needle makes a buzzing noise, I dunno, it doesn’t really hurt, at least not where mine is” Taking a step backwards, Rom dodged Shuu’s attempt to hit him with the hair spray can. Hair in place Shuu turned around to face Rom, a disbelieving look on his face at the ridiculous explanation.

“And this is why we don’t let you write lyrics.” Shuu was certain Rom would have him on again about crushing his hopes and dreams but instead all he got in response was a light smack on the ass before Rom turned and left the small bathroom. As his boyfriend made sure all the lights were turned off in their small apartment, Shuu brought his hand to his arm again, smiling to himself before running to meet Rom in the entrance way. Door locked and boots on, they headed towards the small studio Ambivalence rented for practice, intertwining their fingers as they walked.

 

　　Rom never really improved at drawing the skull on Shuu’s arm, seven days in and Shuu could swear he was getting worse at it. They had also discovered that if Shuu didn’t take extra care to properly remove it at night, the marker would rub off on their sheets as he slept. Uneven eyes, stained sheets and all, it still lifted Shuu’s spirits to see it on his skin. This exercise was only making him more and more eager to have the real thing done.

“You know I’m not going to change my mind, right? We could just book now and in the absolutely not going to happen event I back out, we could just cancel it?” Shuu doubted Rom was going to change his view but it was worth a try. Arms snaking around his boyfriend’s waist, as he waited for the ink on his arm to dry.

“Not gunna happen” Rom capped the marker at his last word as if to punctuate it. “Besides, this guy makes you do a non-refundable down payment when you book, you back out and you’re wasting our money. If he’s not too busy at the moment you could have it done in a fortnight or so.”

Groaning, Shuu wrapped his arms tighter around Rom, squeezing him tightly and making himself a general hassle as Rom attempted to get through his morning routine. While he was becoming increasingly impatient about getting the real thing done, Shuu was happier than anything that he had someone who cared about him as much as Rom did.

 

　　Week two passed agonizingly slowly. No progress was being made on his lyrics, Rom picked up extra shifts at work to cover for someone who’d fallen ill and to top it all off, Shuu had made the mistake of wearing a white shirt, the smudged black ink on the sleeve refusing to wash out. By the time Saturday morning came around, he was half surprised he hadn’t been driven insane. For the first time since high school Shuu was awake before 10am and for once was the one dragging Rom out of bed. Not that Rom complained too much, after the initial surprise of waking up to Shuu, fully dressed, literally dragging him out of their bed by his arm, he was quick to get ready. Rom found Shuu’s excitement at even setting a date for his tattoo adorable.

 

　　Electronic bell announcing their arrival, Rom and Shuu entered the tidy but small studio. Photographs of tattoos and sketches of designs lined the walls, bursts of colour against a sterile white. Rock music, similar to their own bands sound played over the studio’s speakers, a faint buzzing noise joining it. Shuu’s hand found Rom’s, squeezing it tightly as they approached the counter, unsure if he was more nervous or excited. 

“One sec, just let me finish up this and I’ll be riiiiight with you” The myumon behind the counter didn’t look up as he greeted them, a perplexed expression on his face as his fingers danced over the keyboard. Brightly coloured ink decorated what was visible of the artist’s arms, tattoos of the likes Shuu had only ever seen online.

“Take your time, we can wait.” Shuu’s ears twitched in annoyance at Rom’s words.

“Aaaaand I’m with you” With a flourish of his hands, the artist stopped typing and smiled brightly at Rom and Shuu, a spark of recognition running through his face not a second later. “Nice to see you again man! Sorry to say I’ve forgotten your name, I remember your tattoo well though, not often I get to work on arms like yours.”

“It’s Rom and it’s good to see you again too.” Releasing his grip on Shuu’s hand, Rom held out his fist for the artist to bump. “Shuu’s the one who wants to talk to you today though.”

“Shuu, is it? I’m Taiyou. You’re one of Rom’s band mates I take it?” Still smiling the man held his fist out to Shuu, quickly swapping it for an out stretched hand when he noticed Shuu’s awkwardness at copying Rom’s greeting. 

“That and his boyfriend.” Shuu didn’t intend for his response to sound quite as possessive as it did. Taiyou laughed it off though, finishing his firm handshake before leaning closer to Shuu.

“Nice catch.” He whispered just loud enough for Rom to hear. Shuu tried to force himself to be civil, finding it too difficult in the end.

“And all mine.” He heard an exasperated sigh from Rom at his childish jealousy. 

“So what are we after?” Taiyou’s tone turned more businesslike, “First tattoo I’m guessing? You look pretty young.”

Shuu hoped the comment about how young he looked wasn’t a dig at Rom’s tastes, preferring to focus intently on digging through his pockets to find the pen drive containing the Skull Jaguar design. After a good 40 seconds of searching through the various pockets on his overdesigned coat, Shuu found the small black device, humming in a pleased tone as he handed it over to Taiyou. 

“It’s on here, it’s the same as Rom has,” Pausing, Shuu glanced at Rom before continuing, “I want it where his is too, but on the other arm.”

“I guess it’s time for me to accept I stand no chance with the big guy then,” he pretended to overdramatically hold back tears, “Nah, just kidding, I’m happy for you guys. Lemme see your ID, Shuu before we continue.”

Finding his passport with far more ease than the pen drive, Shuu pulled out the document to prove his age. Taiyou was right, he was young but he was only 6 months younger than Rom had been when he’d had his tattoo done. Counting years on his hands, twice, before giving up and Taiyou returned to his computer to search hold old Shuu was given his birthdate. The couple had to try exceedingly hard not to laugh at the man’s display of his poor maths ability.

“There’s a good reason I’m a tattoo artist and not an accountant,” He handed back Shuu’s ID, mocking offense at their barely concealed amusement, “Now, I have what might be some very good news for you depending on what you have planned for today. I had a girl booked in for a back piece today who had to cancel last minute ‘cuz she got sick, meaning, I can definitely fit you in right now if you have nothing on.”

The smile that spread across Shuu’s face at his words said everything he needed to know. 

　　Attempting to keep his modesty had failed when Shuu got his arm caught in the neck of his shirt, creating a rather amusing image for not only Rom and Taiyou but also the other artist and client in the studio whose attention had been drawn by the debacle. After a bit of struggling to free himself, eventually giving into the aid of Rom, Shuu had ended up shirtless. The leather of the chair he was sat on had been cold when he’d first sat down but Shuu was unsure if the shiver he’d given was in reaction to the cold or nerves. Re-sizing the design for Shuu’s slender arm had taken no time at all but waiting for the ‘useless fucking printer’ to print it onto transfer paper seemed to be taking forever, doing nothing to help with his growing fear of how much the tattoo might hurt. Shuu gripped Rom’s hand tightly, hoping he could somehow convey what he was feeling to his boyfriend.  
“If this is about you being unsure, there’s still time to back out, if it’s about the pain,” Rom leaned closer to Shuu, pecking him on the lips, “You have permission to completely destroy my hand on the unlikely change it does get too bad.”  
Taiyou awkwardly cleared his throat announcing his return, transfer in hand ready to check the placement of Shuu’s tattoo.

　　In anticipation of the needle touching his skin, Shuu scrunched his eyes closed, feeling silly when he found that as Rom had described, it really was just irritating rather than painful. Taiyou worked in silence, face twisted in concentration whenever Shuu glanced at it. Outlining the skull was strangely peaceful. Once he got used to the buzzing noise, Shuu found himself lost in the music playing in the background and Rom’s thumb stroking his knuckles as they held hands. Filling in the black, however, was an abrupt wake up from the calm state he’d fallen into. Rom had been right about the initial pain but he obviously had a higher pain tolerance than Shuu. It was definitely painful and definitely more than just slight irritation. Fingertips dug into Rom’s palm as Shuu’s grip got tighter and tighter, determined not to show any pain on his face. Whenever Shuu glanced down at his arm however, the pain felt like it disappeared for a brief second, replaced by a burst of warmth in Shuu’s heart. When Shuu took his eyes off it and felt that pain again, he was amazed what he’d seen hadn’t been a mess of blood and torn up skin.

　　After what felt like an eternity, Taiyou gave his arm a final wipe, making sure not the slightest smudge of excess ink was left on his pale skin. From what Shuu could see without a mirror the tattoo was perfect, so much darker, cleaner and most importantly, more even than what Rom had been drawing on his shoulder for the past fortnight. When Taiyou brought over a mirror so he could see the work properly, all he could do was stare in awe.  
“It’s perfect” Shuu managed after a couple of minutes of stunned silence. Rom stood beside him, smiling so widely that Shuu thought his cheeks would fall off.  
“Yep and I’m gunna wrap it up now so it stays that way. Rom’s been through this before so I’ll give you our aftercare printout and let him talk you through it” Taiyou cut a square of what looked suspiciously like cling film, laying it over the fresh tattoo before taping it in place, “Some of the ink will leech out, that’s normal and so’s a bit of scabbing. If you wanna come in in a few weeks for me to check on it then feel free!” 

 

　　 Wallet a fair few thousand sound dollars lighter and all the happier for it, Shuu joined hands with Rom again on their way back to the train station. The permanent link between them making him feel complete. No one but him and Rom were likely to see the tattoo thanks to his habit of covering himself up so much but that didn’t matter. Maybe it was better that way, Shuu thought, he was very open about his feelings in the songs he wrote but this felt more personal; something for just them. He’d gained something else during his time in the tattoo studio too, pulling out his phone once they were seated on the train, he started to type out a rough draft of the lyrics he’d been so desperately searching for.

\------

Pushing the memories from his brain and forcing his own song to stop playing in his head, Shuu focused on the page in front of him once again. Someone was bound to find out about the tattoo at some point, he began to realise. It was inevitable when he was signing his life away in exchange for stardom. As uncomfortable as it was to face fact that even if all his work outfits covered his arms, some people at Judas would end up seeing his tattoo one way or another, he had to get himself to accept it. He was certain he wouldn’t be so conflicted about this if he wasn’t still in love with Rom. Maybe this was a step he needed to take to start the process of moving on. Taking a deep breath Shuu lifted his pen again.  
‘Please list any tattoos, birthmarks or noticeable scars: tattoo right upper arm, horned skull. If possible I’d like to request that showing it is a NG’

**Author's Note:**

> So I wrote this about 7 months back and never really thought to upload it here, until the new collab art came out with shuu having a suspicious bandage on his right arm (although I orignially wrote this to be on his left arm). I always thought matching tattoos was a really cute headcanon and then canon comes out and hints at it so strongly.


End file.
